September 8 2017, The Shamrock Lodge Hotel in Athlone
Louise and Sarah tied the knot in The Shamrock Lodge Hotel a day after their three-year anniversary last September. They held their ceremony in the same hotel Sarah’s parents renewed their wedding vows in, and for them this dream location was love at first sight.
Louise and Sarah’s love of sport brought them together when they met four years ago through the Edenderry soccer club. After six months together, Sarah just couldn’t wait to pop the question two days before Louise’s birthday, and Louise returned the favour six months later when she got down on one knee too!
The Wedding Details Sarah found her strapless sheath wedding gown on Herdress, a UK based website, while Louise opted for a suit. She sourced a purple fabric to match their theme and enlisted the help of a family friend to tailor it for her.
Sarah, her mother, and the bridesmaids were styled by Hair by Cian Kavanagh and beautician Terri McCreanor, while Louise chose to get ready herself.
Their stunning three-tier wedding cake was suppled by Magical Cakes, Newbridge and was customised with purple detailing. Family friend Laura Fennessy arranged the flowers, buttonholes, bouquets and purple lanterns for the photographs for the happy couple.
For music, Louise and Sarah chose the band Panic Animal who kept the dance floor full all night. They also acted as DJs when the live music ended and entertained the 80 guests until the wee hours of the morning. Louise and Sarah had huge praise for the work they put into their special day; “Brian and Ali were not just two people playing in a band you booked for your wedding they got to know you on a personal level and became your friend. I would have no doubt in recommending, in my opinion, the number one wedding band”.
Favourite Memories Louise’s favourite moment was waiting at the top of the aisle and seeing her beautiful bride walk towards her with her dad on her arm. She also remembers the laughs at the reception when her improvised speech went down better than anything she could have written!
For Sarah, one of the most special and intimate moments of the night came when she and Louise enjoyed their first dance and Louise sang along to Kodaline’s “The One” in her ear.
Special Touches Louise and Sarah had “I choose you” engraved on the inside of their wedding rings and Sarah gave Louise a wooden watch with the date of the wedding engraved on the back of it as a wedding gift. They also had the middle tier of their wedding cake feature the pride colours and a personalised cake topper made to finish the ensemble.
How great was it working with your photographer? “Ralph was very accommodating as he first went to Louise’s house the morning of the wedding to take photos of her getting ready and photos with her family and then came to my house to take photos of me getting ready. His photos are amazing. A few weeks before the wedding he ran through all the little details with us, so we knew what was happening and where we need to be and when. What we also liked about him was the he gives you time in between to talk to your guest and you’re not gone for half the day taking photos and don’t get time to mingle.”
Tell us about your experience with The Shamrock Lodge Hotel? “After seeing the hotel, we fell in love with it. We met with Warren and Alan and literally anything we asked for they made happen, no matter how big or small. They took a lot of weight of our planning and took care of everything. They made sure our day was perfect, from the amazing civil ceremony in the John McCormack Room to the absolute delicious food, even the little details like the decor was down to a tee. I would recommend this venue to anyone for any occasion.”
